Role of qigong on mental health

This study includes three experiments.

I. Evaluating the role of qigong on mental health by the symptom check list 90 (SCL-90)

1. The effect of qigong on mental health. I evaluated mental health condition in 27 persons who had exercised qigong for four months by using the Symptom Check List 90 (SCL-90). My research results indicate that qigong has good effect on the 13 items. Statistic test reaches remarkable level except the average positive item and the depression item.

2. The effect of exercising time on the mental health. Table 1. Qigong effects on mental health:

[There are four columns in this table, column 1 is the item name.
Column 2 is M ± SD for group exercising qigong for less than
two years, 153 cases.
Column 3 is M ± SD for group exercising qigong for more than
two years, 119 cases.
Column 4 is t.
Column 5 is P.]

TABLE 1. QIGONG EFFECTS ON MENTAL HEALTH

M±SD M±SD t P
Item <2 years >2 years

Total Scores 1.568±O.447 1.437±O.361 2.91 <0.01
Num. of positive items 31.88±18.59 26.96±16.86 2.28 <0.05
Aver. positive items 2.56±O. 618 2.39±O. 56 2.39 <0.05
Somatization 1.567±O.661 1.45±O. 49 1.65 >0.05
Obsessive-compulsive 1.882±O.598 1.72±O 59 2.28 <0.05
Interpers. sensitivity 1.719±O.607 1.56±O.49 2.52 <0.01
Depression 1.607±O.57 1.48±O.43 2.73 <0.01
Anxiety 1.490±O.555 1.34±O.45 2.38 <0.05
Hostility 1.578±O.517 1.46±O.47 1.87 =0.05
Phobic anxiety 1.329±O.45 1.22±O.43 1.98 <0.05
Paranoid ideation 1.482±O.514 1.4±O.47 1.3 >0.05
Psychotism 1.491±O.443 1.31±O.36 3.58 <0.01
Others 1.62±O.577 1.45±O.55 2.39 <0.05

The results of the research indicate that the group of exercising qigong for more than two years is lower than the group exercising qigong for less than two years on total scores, numbers of positive items, average positive items and ten factors scores. Statistic test gets remarkable level except somatization and paranoid ideation. The research results indicate that the longer people practise qigong the better their mental health is.

II. The role of qigong on type A behavior pattern. I studied the qigong group and the control group by a questionnaire of type A behaviour pattern. There are 89 cases in the qigong group and 144 cases in the control group.
My research results indicate that:

1. The qigong group's percentage of type A behaviour pattern is 22.43 percent. The control group' s percentage of type A behavior pattern is 51.39 percent. The qigong group's percentage of type A behavior pattern is remarkably lower than the control group.

2. Taking 30 scores as the standard, chi-squared test of the result of qigong and the control group indicate that x**2=17.05, P<O.OOl. The difference is remarkable.

3. The average and standard of the qigong group is 24.517±8.516. The average and standard of control group is 29.813±7.696. The test of average of qigong and control group indicates that t=4.784, P<O.01. The difference is remarkable. According to my research results, l think sticking to qigong is helpful to change type A behavior pattern.

III. The role of qigong on symptoms of psychosomatic disorders. I have designed a questionnaire of 40 problems to see the role of qigong on symptoms of psychosomatic disorders. The effect of qigong on these symptoms is divided into six grades. Qigong makes the symptoms much heavier, heavier, no change, lighter, much lighter, disappearance.

I investigated 100 cases of psychosomatic disorders, including coronary heart disease, hypertension, gastric ulcer and neurasthenia, etc. They all exercised qigong. They only answered some items about the symptoms they had. These 100 cases were divided into two groups: the first qigong group practising qigong for more than two years and the second for less than two years.

The Research results indicate that:

1. The curative effect on the symptoms of psychosomatic disorders is from 50 per cent to 80 percent.

2. The curative effect of qigong on most items of psychosomatic disorders symptoms is from 20 percent to 45 percent.

3. The curative effect rate and cure rate on most items is higher in the first group than the second group.

I also studied 33 cancer patients by the aforesaid questionnaire. I got similar results. According to this research, l think, qigong has a good curative effect on psychosomatic disorders.